Elsie Lange
There’s no doubt the appearance of an orange high-visibility Victorian State Emergency Services (VICSES) shirt is a welcome sight in an emergency.
And on Saturday, March 19, the women donning the recognisable uniform were celebrated at a Women in Rescue (WIR) training event in Sunbury, held statewide at eight locations for the first time.
SES Sunbury Unit hosted casualty handling and domestic rescue workshops and demonstrated the latest in road crash rescue (RCR) techniques, which included working on cars in various kinds of accidents.
Volunteers at the Sunbury event were trained to use a range of different RCR gear, using traditional equipment as well as Sunbury’s battery-powered extrication equipment, which are some of the first battery-powered rescue tools in the country.
The Sunbury WIR event displayed some of the brand new, custom-made female personal protective clothing funded by AAMI, too.
SES Sunbury Unit volunteer Angela Lane described the WIR event as a “fantastic space”.
“When we have our orange on, we all take on a wide variety of roles, including flood or road crash rescue, operations and searches for missing people,” Ms Lane said.
“Women in Rescue has been a great way to consolidate those skills.”
The event aims to further encourage women to volunteer with the VICSES – 33 per cent of members are women, and 70 per cent of units have a female represented on the unit leadership team.
VICSES chief officer Tim Weibusch said the agency is committed to fostering inclusivity, reflecting the communities they serve and developing skills and leadership among their women volunteers.
“Today’s Women in Rescue events are a great opportunity for both experienced, and newer members to come together, share their knowledge and pick up new techniques,” Mr Wiebusch said.
“It also provides a fantastic opportunity to network with fellow VICSES members from across their region.
“Our female first responders at VICSES are incredible, and attend highly complex, challenging incidents. Our Women in Rescue event showcases their life-saving skills, using the latest rescue technology,” he said.
Details: www.ses.vic.gov.au/join-us
